Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Objectives:
After this class, students will be able to:
1. learn and apply new vocabulary.
2. read and analyze literature.
3. compare and contrast an old tale with a modern retelling.

Agenda:
1. Warm-Up: Students will answer the following question from the Quickwrite on page 177 in their textbooks: What is the thing that women most desire? In anticipation of reading The Wife of Bath, we will discuss the answer to this question.

2. Vocabulary Development: From page 177, students should write down the following words and definitions into their notebooks: extort, contemptuous, prowess, temporal, pestilence. As practice, students will write a sentence using each of these words.

3. Review: Code of Chivalry in the Middle Ages

4. Students will listen to the modern version of The Wife of Bath from http://thefinned1.vox.com/library/audio/6a00c22521073e8e1d00cd9705a0814cd5.html. They will summarize the main points of the story.

5. Talking Points/Discussion:
a. Why is it ironic that the knight is forced to find the answer to what women want after being found guilty for rape?
b. Do you think it's fair that the knight is given a chance to save his life after he has broken the code of chivalry?
c. Why is it ironic that an older woman tells him his answer?
d. Do you think that the payment she requests for giving him the answer is just? What would you have taken as payment for saving his life?
e. Is there a stigma attached to widows? What about widowers?

Homework: Students will continue to work on their senior projects.